The Kevin Spacey Sexual Misconduct Allegations Have Sparked A Conversation About "American Beauty"

On Sunday night, BuzzFeed News published a report in which actor Anthony Rapp alleged that Kevin Spacey made a sexual advance on him in 1986, when he was 14.

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Rapp, now 46, said he was emboldened by the numerous women who have come forward after stories were published in the New York Times and the New Yorker about Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein's alleged sexual misconduct. He told BuzzFeed News the following about his experience with Spacey, then 26, more than 30 years ago: "He picked me up like a groom picks up the bride over the threshold. But I don't, like, squirm away initially, because I'm like, 'What's going on?' And then he lays down on top of me."

Soon after the BuzzFeed News story was published, Spacey issued a statement saying: "I want to deal with this honestly and openly and that starts with examining my own behavior."

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The controversy surrounding the allegations has prompted some people to reassess Spacey's body of work, specifically American Beauty, the 1999 drama for which he won best actor at the 72nd Academy Awards.

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In the film, Spacey plays Lester Burnham, an older man who becomes obsessed with his teenage daughter's friend, Angela Hayes (played by Mena Suvari), to the point he has sexual fantasies about her after seeing her perform a dance routine during a high school basketball halftime show.